The development of a car without an internal combustion engine.presented a new set of challenges to engineers.
Volvo Cars safety engineers had to completely redesign and reinforce the frontal structure to deal with the absence of an engine, meet Volvo Cars’ high safety requirements and help keep occupants as safe as in any other Volvo.
The car’s body structure was reinforced in the front and at the rear. The electric powertrain was integrated in the body structure to achieve a better distribution of collision forces away from the cabin and reduce the strain on people inside the car.
To help keep passengers safe and the battery intact in the event of a collision, Volvo Cars also developed a new and unique safety structure for passengers and battery alike in the XC40. The battery is protected by a safety cage which consists of a frame of extruded aluminum and has been embedded in the middle of the car’s body structure, creating a built-in crumple zone around the battery.
The battery’s placement in the floor of the car also has the benefit of lowering the center of gravity of the car, for better protection against roll-overs.
In terms of active safety systems, the battery-powered XC40 also introduces new technology. It is the first Volvo model equipped with a new Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) sensor platform with software developed by Zenuity, the joint venture company owned by Volvo Cars and Veoneer.
Ekholm says the fundamentals around safety are the same for the electric XC40 as for conventional Volvo models.
The new ADAS platform is a modern, scalable active safety system that consists of an array of radars, cameras and ultrasonic sensors. Because of its scalable nature it can easily be developed further and lays the foundation for the future introduction of autonomous drive technology.
“The fundamentals around safety are the same for this car as for any other Volvo. People are inside, and the car needs to be designed to be safe for them,” said Volvo Cars Safety Centre head Malin Ekholm.
Volvo Cars will reveal more details about the fully electric XC40 in the coming weeks, before it will be first shown to the public on Oct 16.
READ MORE: CarSifu drives the conventional XC40
